Lessons from My Career Pivot

Written By Celine Liu

How I Transitioned to Tech and Built a Global Career in Data Analytics

👋 Hi Everyone! I’m Celine Liu, a Career & Life Coach dedicated to empowering young professionals to navigate career changes with confidence and clarity.

Over the past three years, alongside building my coaching business, I’ve undergone a career pivot—transforming from a social science graduate and non-technical person to a data professional at a major tech company. Today, I manage and hire global data teams.

The journey has been full of ups and downs, but every step brought lessons worth sharing. In this post, I’ll reflect on my experience in career transitions, offering actionable insights to help you navigate your path toward growth and success.


Leadership Meeting @ Uber SF office

Lesson #1 Acknowledge Where You Are Right Now

In early 2021, I decided to shift from being a full-time entrepreneur to pursuing a corporate career in tech.

Entrepreneurship taught me valuable lessons, but it also revealed my gaps—like scaling a business or creating products with mass appeal. These realizations inspired me to learn from a large tech organization.

I spent months analyzing my experience, redefining my goals, and rethinking my career trajectory. When I decided to enter the data field, my first step was to review job descriptions of ideal roles. By listing key skills and comparing them to my own, I identified gaps I needed to fill.

This was tough. Writing down your weaknesses can feel discouraging. But I reminded myself that personal growth is a journey—what I lack today, I can learn tomorrow.

How I Took Action ⚙️

  • I enrolled in an SQL course and dedicated my evenings to practice.

  • I built small projects to gain hands-on experience.

  • I tracked my progress daily, which motivated me to stay consistent.

Photo: Screenshot of a small project

Those months were challenging but incredibly fulfilling as I could see myself growing each day.

Key Learning 🚀

The first step in any career transition is understanding the gap between where you are now and where you want to be. Like a GPS, if you don’t know your starting point, you can’t map a route to your destination.

To help others navigate this process, I created a Career Skills Assessment Tool based on my own experiences and lessons. You can access it for free here.

Here’s the truth: Your current abilities are not fixed. Today’s limitations don’t define your future potential. Embracing this growth mindset helped me overcome self-doubt and consistently take steps toward my goals.

I’ll share my second lesson in my next post. Stay tuned for more actionable insights on career transitions! 🚀

Celine Liu